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Buffalo man sentenced for punching man with medical condition in City of Tonawanda

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CITY OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Buffalo man has been sentenced for punching a man with a medical condition on the City of Tonawanda in 2019.

The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced 26-year-old Avery D. Hunter was sentenced to 60 days in jail followed by three years of probation. He was found guilty of one count of assault in the third degree in May.

The district attorney's office says in August of 2019 the victim, 59-year-old Michael Zuch who suffered from Huntington's Disease, was out for a walk in the area of Grove Place and Grove Street in the City of Tonawanda when he was confronted by Hunter. Zuch and Hunter did not know each other but a brief verbal altercation occurred and as they walked away from each other Hunter turned around and punched Zuch in the face.

Zuch fell to the ground and struck his head on the sidewalk, he spent several weeks at ECMC to be treated for multiple serious injuries before being transferred to a rehabilitation center. Zuch died in November 2019 and the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that "he died due to an underlying medical condition and the assault did not contribute to his death."